Family escape blaze after mobile phone charger set pillow alight

A FAMILY had a narrow escape when a mobile phone charger set a pillow alight.

Brandon Blanchard, left, had a lucky escape after his phone charger ignited under his pillow

Dad-of-three Dwayne Blanchard has spoken of his family's lucky escape after a phone left on charge set fire to his son's bedroom .

He said he was only at home because he had overslept and was only alerted to the fire when he woke up to the smell of smoke last Thursday and quickly located the blaze on 12-year-old Brandon's pillow.

The 32-year-old from Leicester was able to put out the fire with water from the bathroom, but believes the fire could have burnt the house down as he was only in after sleeping in that day by chance.

After such a near miss with a potentially devastating fire, Dwayne took to Facebook to warn others of the danger - and his post has now been shared more than 27,000 times.

Dwayne, who suffers with epilepsy and is unable to work, said: "I'd had a bad night's sleep that night because of my condition so I'd slept in really late. I should have been out early that morning running errands.

"The kids had left for school around 8am and it was about 11 o'clock when I woke up to the smell of smoke. Before I knew it the fire alarm started going off as well so I jumped out of bed and started running round the house to find the fire, before I'd even got dressed.

MERCURY

The charred remains of the phone charger are a scary reminder of the dangers of electronics

"I saw the fire on his pillow, where his phone and Bluetooth speaker were sat. I grabbed a cup of water out of the bathroom and thankfully it went out straightaway. If I hadn't been there though, it could have burned the house down.

I saw the fire on his pillow, where his phone and Bluetooth speaker were sat

Dwayne Blanchard

"It was just such a good job I had slept in. I feel like we had a real lucky escape. We're in a semi so it could have been devastating for us and our next-door neighbour."

Dwayne lives with partner Rachel Herbert, who is full-time mum to her sons Josh Herbert-Tompkins, 15, and Brandon Leavis, in addition to Dwayne's three-year-old daughter Brooke.

Since the fire, Dwayne and Rachel have implemented new rules meaning all electronics in the house are now charged downstairs - and nothing is left plugged in overnight or while they go out the house.

Dwayne said: "The two boys share a room together and Brandon had obviously left his electronics on charge so he could use them as soon as he got home from school.

"I have always said don't put things on or under your pillow to charge. I am quite into technology and I know how hot things can get if they're not stored properly while they're plugged in.

"When Brandon got home I told him what had happened and showed him the pillow. He was quite shocked and shed a little tear. He knew how serious it could have been. Brandon's got a desk that I've always told him to use for his gadgets, but he has learned from his mistake now.

MERCURY

Dwayne Blanchard and his partner Rachel Herbert shared their story on Facebook

"Strangely enough the iPhone 4S and the speaker still work, but they've got burn marks on them. I don't know how long they were smouldering for but I think the fire had only just started when it woke me up.

"We obviously had to replace his pillow, which had a huge hole in the middle where it had set on fire. There was a fair bit of smoke in the room too so we had to ventilate it all day.

"There is absolutely no charging allowed upstairs in our house now and chargers are to be turned off overnight. My partner has gone plug crazy and turns everything off!

"Brandon did have a proper charger for his phone, but the Bluetooth speaker was plugged into a different charger than the one it came with, just because it was the right size. I won't be letting him do that again."

Dwayne shared the shocking photo on Facebook after putting out the fire and his post quickly went viral, with a friend in Australia even coming across it.

GETTY

Brandon was reportedly using a third-party iPhone 4s charger when the gadget ignited

Dwayne said: "We just didn't expect it to go as viral as it has. I didn't realise it until the Monday, when a friend from Australia had seen it shared by someone I didn't even know.

"People are thanking me for putting the awareness out there, as so many people do this with chargers. I put it on Facebook so that a few family members and friends might be aware of the danger, and it just escalated from there.

"Some messages I've had are really heart-warming. It seems loads of parents have been trying to make their children see how dangerous it is, but only when they see a picture like mine will they actually take note."

Dwayne's post read in full: 'So I've just been running round the house stark b*llock naked because the fire alarm was going I could smell the smoke but didn't know where from checked the boys room to find Brandon's pillow on fire because he left stuff charging on it how many times have I said don't charge stuff on or under your pillow !!!'